Tanfana, also spelled Tamfana, is a goddess of Germanic paganism attested only by the Roman senator Tacitus, who records that a temple dedicated to her was destroyed during a massacre of the Germanic Marsi tribe by forces led by the Roman general Germanicus. Scholars have analyzed her name and proposed theories about her role in Germanic religion, but nothing beyond Tacitus's brief account of the temple's destruction survives to describe her further.
Facts
Attestation
Veneration TodayHistorically attested; no continuous cult 3 HistoricityNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Function
Domain / FunctionFertility and generation 1 Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 1 Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
2. Tanfana, Structured Record (Wikidata Q)
3. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
John Lindow, Oxford University Press
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